Weekend Box Office: June 11-13, 2010

Top 10 Box Office for June 11-13, 2010:

1. The Karate Kid (2010), $56M, Week 1, (3663 screens)
2. The A-Team, $26M, Week 1, (3535 screens)
3. Shrek Forever After, $15.8M, Week 4, (3868 screens)
4. Get Him to the Greek, $10.1M, Week 2, (2702 screens)
5. Killers, $8.2M, Week 2, (2859 screens)
6. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, $6.6M, Week 3, (3108 screens)
7. Marmaduke, $6M, Week 2, (3213 screens)
8. Sex and the City 2, $5.5M, Week 3, (2750 screens)
9. Iron Man 2, $4.6M, Week 6, (2305 screens)
10. Splice, $2.9M, Week 2, (2450 screens)

Movie Review: The Karate Kid

Yes, I’m old enough to have seen the original Karate Kid starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita.  And I *think* I saw part II.  And I seem to recall there being a part III and a part IV but, umm… I’m not sure why anyone felt they were necessary.

So here we go with a karate kid for the new generation. The main character, Dre (Jaden Smith), gives new meaning to being the new kid in town. He and his mother (Taraji P. Henson) move from Detroit to  China for her job (I don’t actually remember seeing what it is she does for a living, but… guess that’s not the point of the movie). Dre is a black, cornrow wearin’ American living in Beijing. He is not thrilled about being there but things look up when he spots the pretty Mei Ying (Wenwn Han), which draws unwanted attention from the neighborhood bully, Cheng. Smith does a good job of showing the fear of having to stay one step ahead of a bully. Finally, Dre can no longer outrun Cheng and his cohorts, and he wants to learn to fight back.

Enter Mr. Han (Jackie Chan in all his choreographed amazingness), who takes Dre under his wing and shows him some moves. Han actually teaches Dre kung fu moves rather than karate, but you don’t wanna go messin’ with a name people already know.  The storyline is fairly similar to the original with some unique differences. Yes, Mr. Han uses some unconventional ways to train Dre, but not exactly the same methods as Morita used with Macchio. Yes, there is the big scene at the end, but it’s not *exactly* the same.

Smith’s character is 12, but he looks 9 or 10 because of his diminutive size. It is disturbing seeing a little kid getting beat down, but definitely take your kids to see this. The lessons they’ll learn about discipline and respect and facing your fears more than make up for any violence they’ll see.  Chan is great at playing the mentor and at showing the anguish of past events. The movie has plenty of laughs and even though I knew, in general, what was going to happen, I still found myself whipping away a few tears.  As a nice bonus, there are some great scenes showing the beauty of China.

Like the original, this is an uplifting film the whole family will enjoy. I recommend this movie and give it 3 and 1/2 Slurpees out of 5.  Oh, and watch out for Jaden smith. I had intended to not compare him to his father, Will; however, there were so many times in the movie where I saw some of Will’s swagger in Jaden, down to similar facial expressions and comic timing. The kid can actually act + the teeny boppers will dig him = he will be around for awhile.

* The Karate Kid * Director: Harald Zwart * Starring: Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson * Time: 140 minutes * Rated PG * Trailer * Game * Soundtrack *